Cold Blooded Bravery
by Squirrel Master 1600
Summary: When nearly killed at the hands of the City-State, one young Highland soldier swears revenge for his fallen friends. The mission he and his fellow soldiers embark on to Harmonia gives him his chance. It will change him, but for better or worse? Ch 3 up.
1. The Massacre

**Author's Note:** Contains spoilers for Suikoden I and II.

"Yes sir!"

"Yes SIR!!"

"YES SIR!!!"

The captain's tent flap was hurriedly but silently pushed aside as an erect, metallic-blue figure swiftly and boldly exited the large glowing tent. It stood motionless for a short moment, its breath sending wisps of white vapor spiraling up from its warm mouth. Gleaming in the firelight, the helmeted head turned to face the smug eyes of a nearby soldier. Walter's shoulders drooped as he met the familiar sarcastic gaze of his waiting friend.

"Shut up, Tim," Walter mumbled to his silent comrade as he shuffled away towards the glowing fire a dozen yards away. He heard the clanking of Tim's Highland Youth Brigade uniform behind him as his friend jogged to catch up.

"I told you Captain Rowd wouldn't be happy with you," Tim called ahead to Walter. "He told you not to go into the woods while looking for firewood! You know there are monsters in there!"

"I said shut up, Tim," Walter muttered back. He reached the fireside and let himself crash to the ground, the clang of his armor drawing the lazy attention of all the nearby sentries. There was a thick, soup-like broth in a pot over the fire, exuding the aroma of a freshly cooked chicken. Tim, still on his feet, saw Walter glance hungrily at the pot and got a small serving for both of them.

"Thanks," Walter breathed, his voice starting to become more comprehensible as the captain's lecture faded in his memory. He slowly inhaled the warm steam lifting off the broth in the chill night air. Tim sat down next to him as he started to sip from his shallow bowl. Each sip he took filled his body with intense warmth, but it was quickly cooled by the freezing touch of his metal armor.

"Hey there, Walter," a voice called from behind the duo. Startled, Tim turned to see the speaker and found himself staring into a pair of white pants. He looked up to see a boy standing there, wearing a blue sleeveless turtleneck and sporting a leather strap around his torso, which was held in a loop by two metal rings on his chest. His light blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail. He looked vaguely familiar, but Tim couldn't quite conjure up his name.

"Oh, hi Jowy," Walter responded. "Don't let the captain see you out of uniform, ok? He's not in a very good mood right now."

"Right," Jowy said with a nod. "I'm getting tired, so I'm off to my tent. I'll see you tomorrow at home in Kyaro!" Giving a final nod farewell, Jowy walked away towards a tent in the corner of the encampment.

_So,_ Tim thought, _that's Jowy. Funny, I've never seen him out of uniform._

"Well," Walter announced, climbing to his feet, "I'm off to bed, too. Coming, Tim?"

"Yeah, I'll come. I don't plan on getting too much sleep tonight, though. I can't wait to get home."

Upon entering their tent, Tim and Walter each headed directly for their own beds.

"I'm beat," Walter muttered with a sigh. He dumped his heavy uniform on the floor, muttering about picking it up later, and got into bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Tim took his armor off piece-by-piece and started packing it up for the journey home the next morning. As he was packing, Jowy walked in, accompanied by his friend, Riou. Riou was also out of uniform and dressed as if he was already home in Kyaro; he was wearing a pair of short, black pants, a red gi, a yellow ascot, and a strange gold headpiece that he always wore...nobody really knew why. When Riou and Jowy entered in casual clothes, an audible sigh came from across the tent. Rick, Tim and Walter's tent-mate, was a proud Highlander who scoffed at anyone who didn't give one hundred and ten percent to the country's cause, and that included respecting it by staying in uniform until they got back to Kyaro.

"Hey, Tim," Jowy quietly called out.

"Hi Jowy, hi Riou," Tim quietly replied as Riou and Jowy approached. "Whew…" he sighed, "we can finally go home. We never went to the front line and I'm glad."

"What did you say?" Rick hissed, marching quickly across the room toward Tim. "Those aren't the proud words of a Highland Soldier from the Unicorn Brigade!" He turned to Riou, demanding, "Are you feeling all gushy, too, Riou? Already feel like you're back in Mommy's arms?"

Tim glared at Rick across Riou's shoulders, and Rick glowered back. Sensing a fight, Riou quickly stepped back out of the way as Tim and Rick stepped up to each other, arguing intensely.

"You should be proud to fight for your country!"

"And I will if I need to, but I have no death wish!"

"You can't be a soldier if you're not willing to die!"

"Nor can you be a soldier if you're too willing to die!"

Walter, woken up by all the noise, stepped out of his bed and wearily trudged up to Riou, who was fretting about the brawl that was about to ensue. "Those two are always arguing," Walter called sleepily above the disputing duo, "But I understand both of them." He walked around Riou and calmly tried to break up the escalating argument. Walter was good at this, and, before long, Tim and Rick split up, standing back-to-back and refusing to talk to each other. Walter then gave Riou a sleepy nod and walked lazily back to his bed.

Riou rolled his eyes at the predicament he had accidentally commenced and followed Jowy out of the tent with neither Tim nor Rick glancing away from their respective beds to bid them farewell. Everything shortly returned to normal as the Highland encampment fell into a deep, silent sleep.

"Surprise attack!!!"

"Tim, get up! Get up!! We have to help!"

Tim's eyes jolted open as he suddenly realized what was going on. "Oh, God…" he muttered under his breath, staring at a flame above his head which was quickly devouring the tent. He jumped up and quickly, almost mechanically, climbed into his armored uniform. Tim and Walter rushed out of their tent, passing a surprised Riou and Jowy as they entered. They drew their swords, looking around for the attackers, but found none.

"Hey, Tim, Walter over here!" Captain Rowd called to them. "It's a surprise attack by the City-State! They've broken the peace agreement, those scum! It looks like we're surrounded. Take the mountain path to the east and save yourselves! Hurry!!"

Tim and Walter looked at each other for a second, then nodded in consensus and fled east to the mountain path without looking back. They chased the other Youth Brigade soldiers out of the camp and down the narrow path, which followed a steep cliff face. Making the turn around a portion of the cliff jutting out into the trail's path, their destination, a mountain path leading deep into the woods of Tenzan Pass, was almost in sight. It was then that Walter felt a sharp pain in his back.

"Ahhh!!" he cried as an arrow pierced through his armor and struck his flesh. He fell to the ground face first, his helmet rolling off his head and over the precipice of the cliff overlooking Kyaro Valley.

"Walter!!" Tim called back, coming to an abrupt stop. "Walter, get up! Walter!" Receiving no response, Tim rushed back to pick up his fallen comrade. He stuck his arm under Walter's torso and tried to lift him up.

"Ugh…no, Tim, stop!" Walter cried in pain.

"I won't!" Tim said defiantly. He picked Walter up and helped him stand on his feet by spreading his arm across Walter's back and gripping his opposite shoulder. On Tim's queue, they slowly started to move forward again, one excruciating step at a time.

"Ah! It hurts!" Walter howled. "Mommy…"

"Don't worry, I'll save you…" Tim told him. "We're pals, right?" Then, seeing Riou and Jowy approach looking concerned, Tim called to them, "Don't worry, Riou. Just hurry and get away!"

Riou and Jowy did just that, and, with one final glance back, sprinted away, following behind the remaining escaping soldiers to the woods leading to the mountain path.

Just as Riou passed out of sight, Tim felt a searing pain tear through his body as an arrow struck him directly underneath his right shoulder. Not able to support his own weight in addition to Walter's with his quickly draining energy, Tim fell to his hands and knees, leaving Walter to stumble and fall behind him. For what seemed like several minutes, they lay still, trying to muster the strength to stand and run again.

"W…Walter…" Tim stuttered as he tried to talk through a mouthful of blood.

He received no response from his still friend.

"Walter!" Tim pushed out of his burning lungs. "Walter…no…"

Footsteps! Tim heard footsteps running toward him! He had to call for help…he had to help Walter! But, by the time he managed to cough up "U…Ugh…" the footsteps were receding towards the camp.

For the first time, the thought crossed his mind: he was doomed. He knew this was possible ever since he joined the Unicorn Brigade, but they were so close…they were supposed to be home tomorrow! _I can't die now! I can't..._the world faded into a dull, dreary darkness.

**Chapter Two is up!**


	2. The Aftermath

The darkness, after what seemed to be but an instant - it could've been a minute or a day - finally gave way to a bleak image of storm clouds and mud. The evergreen trees appeared black in the sunless day, swaying violently in the wind, Tim's eyes had just opened, but he already felt a searing pain coursing through his back, shoulders, and head. His eyes stung as the heavily falling rain sent waves of brown water careening into his face inside his helmet as they hit the ground. He tried to lift his head, but it felt far too heavy for his neck to support. He tried to take a deep breath, but inhaled only water. Coughing violently, he spewed out a mass of bloody, foaming saliva onto the muddy ground of Tenzan Pass. Panicking for air, Tim's body squirmed and shook, trying desperately to get his head above the mud and water. Finally managing to wedge his left arm under his chest, he had the leverage he needed to pick his head out of the mud.

Inhaling deeply, Tim became suddenly conscious of the rain pounding violently on his armor, producing a deafening metallic roar. After resting for several minutes, he felt he had the strength to try to remove his helmet to rid himself of the pounding of the rain. Unable to move his left arm, which was numb after being stuck under his weight and in the cold, muddy water, he tried to use his right arm, but cringed when a burning pain shot down his arm and spine, centering under his right shoulder blade. When the pain subsided, Tim remembered what put him here on the ground: the arrow in his back, shot from the bow of a City-State soldier who helped in the surprise attack of Unicorn Brigade. That's why he was lying here and that's why Walter…

"Walter…" Tim croaked through his dry throat. With a newfound strength, Tim managed to push himself up onto his knees where he removed his helmet and turned his head to his fallen friend. "Walter, are you okay?"

He received no response.

"Walter?"

Again, the nearby body said nothing.

Tim immediately knew what this meant, but he couldn't leave Walter without knowing for sure. Forgetting the pain in his back and arm, he crawled on his hands and knees towards his friend.Panting hard and blinking away the water dripping from his soaked brown hair, Tim softly placed his hand on Walter's armored shoulder and applied a slight pressure. Receiving no response, he pushed harder, rolling the body onto its side, revealing his friend's cold, emotionless face.

Walter was covered in mud. His lips were blue and he wasn't breathing. His right eye was slightly open, but his pupil wasn't visible. Small streaks of dried blood, becoming visible as the rain swept his face clean of mud, ran from his nose and mouth and off his chin. The puddle forming in the crater in which his head was lodged was dyed a deep red. Walter was dead.

Tim stared long and hard at his friend, unable to unglue his eyes from the horrific sight. He knew there was nothing to gain by waiting in vain hope, but he didn't feel right giving up and leaving his friend here, either. He slowly released Walter's head, letting the corpse fall back to the ground. It rolled onto its back, giving a sickening crunch as the arrow lodged in it was pushed even deeper into the cold flesh under the heavy weight of the saturated body and metal uniform. Reacting quickly to the sound, Tim grabbed Walter's body and rolled it back onto its stomach, but not before blood started gushing out of the wound created by the arrow. Averting his eyes, Tim stared at the cold ground, disgusted at himself for letting this happen and enraged at the City-State for betraying the trust of the Highland people.

"Walter," Tim muttered, his voice barely audible above the steadily growing torrents of rain, "I will never forgive the City-State for this. If nothing else, I promise I will help Highland achieve victory over those State scum…in your name."

With nothing more to say, Tim pushed himself to his feet. He had lingered here long enough; it was time to return to the ranks of the Highland Army and report what had happened. He couldn't let the Highland people remain unaware of the tragedy that befell the Unicorn Brigade.

**To be continued...**


	3. New Recruits

The snare drums were pounding away from atop the ramparts of the castle, setting the pace of the march underneath. From above, the drummers surveyed the masses of blue-clad soldiers shifting smoothly across the courtyard, the legs of the soldiers falling in step with one another to the rhythm of the harsh, percussive music. The large courtyard of L'Renouille Castle was nearly filled with Highland soldiers, all awaiting assignments to one of the Highland Army's companies. Although no one dared say it aloud - especially in front of a Highland officer - most soldiers were secretly hoping to get into General Kiba Windamier's 3rd company. Rumor had it he and his son, Klaus, were not only brilliant field commanders, but relatively sympathetic towards their subordinates. Unfortunately, only about a quarter of all the soldiers present would get into General Kiba's company; the others would be assigned to one of the other generals. Every company other than the 1st, the White Wolf Guard, the royal guardians, was accepting recruits.

Standing near the castle's gate, a lone soldier stared up at the castle's ornate towers and ramparts in astonishment. He was from the small village of Sajah, far to the northwest of L'Renouille, and had never seen anything quite as impressive as the architectural feat that stood tall before him. His light brown eyes traced the outline of the castle, following the edges of the towers down towards the large stone balcony from which the prince was supposed to give his address to the soldiers. Even as his fellow countrymen swarmed around him, socializing and trading stories of their travels to the capital, the soldier remained motionless, engulfed in his own thoughts.

"Excuse me, are you Justin Rhodes Junior?" a sharp voice said suddenly, jolting the soldier out of his daydream.

"Huh? Um, yeah, that's me," the soldier replied.

"Ok, good, you're checked in," the voice, which apparently belonged to a Highland officer standing behind a table near the gate, said. "The prince should be arriving soon. After he gives his address, you'll receive your assignment. For now, though, I'm going to have to ask you to step away from the gate. You're blocking the path."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rhodes shyly muttered as he walked deeper into the courtyard. He'd never seen so many people in one place; how could you find a place to sit and think to yourself for a few minutes? He found a small isolated spot between two circles of conversing soldiers. The group to his left was comprised almost exclusively of giant men with thick beards and thicker southern accents. Rhodes couldn't be certain, but he figured they were originally from Kanakan or maybe the Island Countries. The other group was more diverse, made up of men and boys of all types. The most prominent from Rhodes' point of view was a tall, thick blonde man in full armor standing with his right arm wrapped around the shoulders of a younger man, maybe still a teenager. The younger of the two seemed out of place; he wasn't wearing a uniform, but instead wore a simple brown overcoat and a pair of leather pants held up by a rope tied around his waist. Even from under his coat, a bulge was noticeable near his right shoulder, but Rhodes couldn't imagine what it was.

Rhodes found his thoughts once again interrupted by a loud noise. The drums on the ramparts suddenly became louder, playing a familiar rhythm. The crowd of soldiers fell silent as the figure of a man became visible atop the stone balcony. Even though he had never seen the prince before, Rhodes knew his fancy armor couldn't belong to anyone else.

Prince Luca Blight paused when he reached the end of the balcony, causing the air of anticipation to grow even thicker. Finally, he spoke, "Hear me! You have all come here from the farthest reaches of the Kingdom of Highland to defend your countrymen, your wives, and your children! You have come because you won't let the damnable ruffians from the City-State take your pride as a Highlander! You have come, and soon you'll have your revenge!"

The crowd cheered.

"I'm sure you've all heard of the brutal massacre of the Unicorn Brigade near Kyaro Town. Young Highland blood was spilled there that fateful night, and I intend to see to it that it does not happen again! Already, those responsible for the attack from within have been captured and executed for their crimes!"

Rhodes glanced at the blonde man next to him, who seemed to shift uneasily as he heard Prince Luca's comment. The boy next to him also let his eyes fall to the ground momentarily, but soon both were intently watching the prince again as he continued.

"However, the City-State still must be held accountable for breaking the peace treaty and killing our children!"

Another cheer erupted from the crowd.

"I know the Highland people grow weary of war, but we must defend this land for ourselves and our prosperity!"

More cheers followed the prince's statement. Luca Blight stood tall, grinning upon the balcony as the cheers continued below him. As soon as the noise died down, he continued.

"I ask, as a favor to both me, the victims of the attack, and your friends and families, do not give up the fight until we have victory! Do not fear the enemy for your fear will only bring fear to those who you are trying to protect! Fear is a weakness!"

Luca paused for a few seconds, glancing at a small, feminine figure next to him. Rhodes recognized the figure as Princess Jillia Blight, daughter of the late Queen Sarah Blight. On the record, she was also the daughter of King Agares, but there were rumors that Jillia was born to a different father. Taking a deep breath, Prince Luca concluded his short speech.

"I'm sure you're all anxious to receive your assignments, so I'll let you get to it. Let's show those State bastards what Highland is made of!

With a wave of his hand, Luca stepped away from the edge of the balcony and retreated back inside the castle amidst the cheers of his countrymen. An officer with dark hair approached the edge of the balcony and called out, "You will now receive your assignments. Group yourselves according to which city, town, or village you come from. All unincorporated areas, group yourselves near the gate. An officer will bring you your assignments."

Rhodes glanced around, looking for anyone he recognized. Sajah was a small village, so he figured he should be able to pick out anybody from the region. He noticed a plump man, a man he recognized as an old friend of his father's, wandering toward the western wall of the courtyard, so Rhodes followed. Breaking out of the crowd, he spotted a few familiar faces gathering nearby, so went to join them.

"Hey, Junior, over here!" a voice called. Rhodes let his eyes scan the small group, easily spotting the man yelling and waving his arms wildly.

"Ah, Shawn, there you are," Rhodes laughed. Shawn Wilder, at 22, was four years younger than Rhodes, but they had been friends since Wilder's early teens. Despite the fact that Wilder was younger than Rhodes, he always called his friend "Junior" because he shared the same name as his father, Justin Rhodes. After so many years, Rhodes finally stopped fighting the use of the somewhat demeaning nickname and accepted it.

There were a total of fourteen men from Sajah Village gathered near the castle wall when Rhodes joined them. He recognized all of them, but didn't know them all by name. Not accustomed to having to get acquainted with strangers, Rhodes gave them a polite nod then turned to Wilder, asking, "How was your trip here?"

"It went pretty smoothly, overall," Wilder answered. "Those creatures wandering the countryside aren't quite the threat they used to be."

"Yeah, we used to have a lot more trouble with them when we were kids," Rhodes agreed.

"They also used to be a lot more fun," Wilder grinned.

The conversation between the two continued for some time, covering topics ranging from their trips to the capital to the most recent gossip about their neighbors. Before long the discussion included most of the circle of Sajah villagers and Rhodes was finally starting to get comfortable with most of them when three Highland soldiers approached, loudly announcing their arrival. Rhodes and the others turned to greet them, suddenly showing their eagerness to find out their assignments.

"Devon Hunter?" one of the soldiers read off a piece of paper.

"Here," one of the villagers responded, reaching out his hand to take the paper. The entire group leaned in, curious about the fate of their neighbor. A small frown appeared on Devon's face, but it quickly changed to a smirk. "I've been assigned to General Kiba!"

Before anyone could react, the courier called out the next name, "Shawn Wilder?" Wilder grabbed the paper, and the soldiers continued to hand the rest out to the Sajah villagers. Rhodes was third to last.

When all the assignments had been handed out, the soldiers moved on to the next group and the villagers dispersed into smaller groups of friends. Rhodes approached Wilder, who was showing his assignment to Devon Hunter. When he saw Rhodes, Wilder turned to him with a disappointed look on his face. "I've been assigned to General Solon Jhee's 2nd company," he said.

"Really?" Rhodes asked excitedly.

"Uh, yeah," Wilder replied, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Me too!" Rhodes announced, showing his paper to Wilder. He was happy that he wouldn't have to go into battle without a friend at his side.

"Oh, well in that case," Wilder said, his frown turning into a grin, "maybe this isn't really so bad."

"Ok, listen up, everyone!" the same dark haired officer from before called from atop the balcony.

"There's General Jhee now," Wilder told Rhodes quietly.

_So that's the man I'll be serving under,_ Rhodes thought to himself.

"By now you all should've received your assignments," Solon Jhee called out. "Group yourselves according to which company you've been assigned to, starting with the 2nd company on my left!"

With a sudden great bustle, all the new recruits started rearranging themselves according to General Jhee's orders. Within a few minutes, everyone was grouped with their respective company, scanning the nearby soldiers to find anyone they recognized. Rhodes stood between Wilder and the boy with the bulge under his shoulder from before. Before long, General Solon Jhee emerged from the castle along with his captains, Seed and Culgan. Seed, especially, was famous among the Sajah villagers. He grew up as a peasant in the Sajah region, so his tales of ascension within the Highland ranks were told to most children from the village.

The new 2nd company recruits stood silently as General Jhee stepped into the middle of the circle of soldiers. "Welcome to the 2nd company, gentlemen," he said. "Unfortunately, we don't have much time to train before we're deployed; Prince Luca is anxious to begin our counteroffensive. For now, retire to your quarters. Get something to eat and get some rest for tomorrow. After a few days of training and preparations, we're leaving for Muse."

The recruits looked at each other incredulously. They were leaving so soon? That wasn't normal by any means.

"That's all I have. Tomorrow, report to Captain Seed at 0600 hours and we'll get started. Dismissed!"

"Yes, sir!" a few of the recruits called out. General Jhee immediately turned and went back to the castle with Seed and Culgan following him.

Wilder turned to Rhodes after the general left. "I don't know about you, Junior, but I'm already tired. What do you say we get to bed early tonight?"  
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Rhodes replied. "I don't want to be tired our first day out there."

-----------------------------------------------------

"Are you sure that's the wisest course of action, sir?"

"Of course, captain. Prince Luca said we were to attack Toto Village as our first offensive. Who are you to question the prince's orders?"

"Ah, no, it's not that, I just think that it would be more efficient to attack Muse directly. Don't you agree, general?"  
"I suggest you keep your mouth shut, Rowd, if you want to keep it. Prince Luca is in charge of the Highland Army now, we do what he says."

"Yes, General Jhee, I'm sorry."

"Good. Now get out of here; Prince Luca will be coming soon. After the incident at Kyaro Town, you may want to lay low for the time being."


End file.
